iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

Please make it stop. I get AI-generated emails from "book marketers" at the rate of one a week. Today I got one for a book that's not even mine.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026

Have been doing some gardening for my elderly parents, using tools that are older than me. There's something deeply satisfying using tools that were built to last.

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Reposted by Stephen Webb

Jon S. von Tetzchner @jon.social.vivaldi.net.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

There are clearly many reasons why people are switching to Vivaldi. Interestingly, my little survey shows that the top reasons have more to do with our values than particular features. The #1 reason (77%) is the fact that we do not have built in AI. #2 is […] [Original post on social.vivaldi.net]

Image shows survey results about things important to our userbase, also referred in the text.

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Reposted by Stephen Webb

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I am deeply honored to be awarded this year's Loftus Space Sustainability Award by the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety. I'm looking forward to meeting colleagues in the space sustainability community at the IAASS meeting in Antibes next month.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/09/2026

My first visit to Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery today. Only had a couple of hours, but would have liked to have stayed all day. This was one of the highlights - Einstein by Epstein.

A bronze of Einstein (head and neck) sculpted by Epstein in 1933. The statue stands on an unadorned block. Plane background.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 02/09/2026

Got interviewed recently for a short film called "In the Great Silence". The teaser looks interesting! www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzljay0iHSU

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/08/2026

About 10 minutes to go before we get to 96% coverage of the Sun. It's already getting rather creepy. (The image is rubbish because it was made with a pinhole in a piece of card.) #eclipse

The sun in partial eclipse - nothing else in shot except for the clipped disc

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/07/2026

A warm evening, and open air Shakespeare - "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Perfect!

An audience settling down in a forest clearing. A few costumed actors are standing beneath an old tree. A thatched building is in the background.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/07/2026

Garfield Sobers has died. Sad news. One of the greatest cricketers ever.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 22/06/2026

32C in the shade here, and the forecast is for even higher temperatures in the coming days. It's still June.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/06/2026

Came across a stone snowman in Varel today. The Wattenmeer is a beautiful place for walking.

Three large stones, one on top of the other, form the body of a snowman. A black hat, a carrot nose, a mouth and a stick (all made of stone) ensure that the formation can be recognised as a snowman. The structure stands on a small, flower-covered mound. It is beside a path that leads down to a stretch of water. In the background are some small boats. A blue sky contains some non-threatening clouds.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/05/2026

Received my author copies of "1956" this morning. Always exciting to see a physical copy of a book. Depressing, though, to think that 70 years on we are still doing the same stupid stuff... #amWriting

A double page spread of a book, with each page containing a photograph of bomb damage

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

PSG Vs Bayern - what a terrific game of football

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/04/2026

York is such a beautiful city. Spent the afternoon mooching around it's many secondhand bookshops - a lovely way to spend a few spare hours.

The ruins of St Mary's Abbey in York. A wall is still standing, which hints at the size and grandeur that the building would once have possessed. But the roof and other walls were torn down. Behind the wall are trees. In front of the wall, a path winds through a lawn.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 26/03/2026

Am in Highgate to see "Tom Lehrer is Teaching Math and Doesn't Want to Talk to You" again. Highly recommended!

A lifesize cardboard cutout of a young, suited Tom Lehrer standing in front of a microphone

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Reposted by Stephen Webb

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

🔊 Calling UK early career researches in astro, particle & nuclear physics. Please sign this open response to the proposed cuts at STFC ⚛️🧪🔭 "Protecting the UK's reputation as a science superpower requires not only investment, but continuity, confidence, and people" ✍️ ecr-openletter-stfc.github.io

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Reposted by Stephen Webb

Jon S. von Tetzchner @jon.social.vivaldi.net.ap.brid.gy · 15/01/2026

At Vivaldi we continue to make choices that are different from our competitors. We have chosen to not integrate AI or crypto, but instead we integrate a wealth of other features, based on the wishes of our users. We are a European company with most of the team based in Norway and Iceland, a few […]

social.vivaldi.net

Original post on social.vivaldi.net

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Reposted by Stephen Webb

Stephen Kotowych 🇨🇦 @ourmankoto.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Oof. Hoping for a full and speedy recovery for Sheila Williams.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/12/2025

Well New Year's Eve has officially started for us: have just watched "Dinner for One"

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/12/2025

Have just learned that John Varley died a few weeks ago. Sad news. One of the greatest #SF writers of all time.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/12/2025

Breakthrough Listen Observations of 3I/ATLAS with the Green Bank Telescope at 1-12 GHz arxiv.org/abs/2512.19763 The authors rule out isotropic continuous-wave transmitters above 0.1W at the location of 3I/Atlas. A mobile phone is roughly an isotropic continuous-wave transmitter at a […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/12/2025

Have switched from Firefox to Vivaldi - so far, I'm very happy with that decision

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/11/2025

Just submitted the manuscript of "1956: A Year of Wonder" to the publishers. It's a good feeling to have it finished and out of the way. #amWriting

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2025

Spent yesterday at Cliveden. Some beautiful autumn colours on display

Photo of trees, with red, orange and yellow leaves, beside a small pond. A pagoda is in the distance.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/09/2025

Just got bitten on the forehead by some insect. I now have a unicorn-sized swelling...

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2025

Spent yesterday at Greenway, Agatha Christie's summer residence - an interesting place

A large, white, three-storied house with a gravelled path to the front and side. The house overlooks a well-kept lawn, and there are trees to either side.

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/08/2025

And so another football season begins. Come on #Boro

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/07/2025

Oh no. Have just learned that Tom Lehrer has died. I loved his songs and his humour. He was a true genius. He was 97, so his death is not a surprise. But it is sad news. #RIP

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 26/07/2025

In my line of work I get more than my fair share of crank emails, usually involving the whereabouts of ET. In recent months, though, the frequency of these emails has increased. It's all thanks to ChatGPT and its relatives. LLMs are able to spit out nonsense at a rate I just can't keep up with […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 22/07/2025

Gorgeous evening at the 17th century village, and the Villagers are about to play "Much Ado About Nothing". Perfect!

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Stephen Webb @stephenxwebb.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 22/06/2025

The astrodon server is closing and I have to relocate. Time then, I guess, for another introduction. #Boro supporting Northerner exiled on the South Coast of England. Interested in the #FermiParadox, the cosmological #DistanceLadder, the relation between #Science and #ScienceFiction - and have […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

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